Tunica/Katrina

[RacersEdge]

What's happening in Tunica with all the Katrina refugees? Are the casinos there overloaded with guest/players, or is the effect not that big?

[MicroBob]

i haven't been down there....but I know that in one of the hurricanes last year (Ivan perhaps?? or Dennis??) I was talking with a couple of employees who told me that the hotels there were mostly sold-out and they were asking their dealers to put in overtime because they knew it would be much busier than normal.

So it woudln't surprise me at all if it was really busy in Tunica.
(there have also been a couple of Memphis TV news-stories about 'Hurricane refugees escape to the Mid-South' or something like that but I didn't pay attention to the stories).


Supposed to storm up here on Monday night and/or Tuesday.
Not too badly of course....but whatever is left of it is on its way.

I guess the worst parts of it should swerve east of here....but we are forecast for a half-inch to an inch of rain tonight last I checked.

[James Boston]

My boss went this weekend and said all the check-in lines were huge on Sunday.

[nsj]

I read somewhere that the Gulf Coast casinos are all closed, and some of them are now flooded.....

[MicroBob]

well...they closed up all the casinos last night before it arrived.
those things are right there on the gulf and it would have been crazy to keep them open when so much of the area is evacuating.

I've played blackjack at the Copa in Gulfport and if the water is rocky you can definitely feel it.


Just to make sure you understand what we're talking about here geographically (some people don't know where Tunica is of course):

Tunica is near Memphis and is about 6 hours north of New Orleans. So many of those who evacuated the gulf came up to this area. And quite a few of those just decided to play for 3 or 4 straight days at the Tunica casinos.
Hurricane evacuations = BAD for the gulf....but it's good business for the Tunica region.


The latest forecast up here is that we are getting 2 inches of rain tonight with 35-45 mph winds.
So travel in this area will be a bit annoying.

[neotope]

What's the deal with Biloxi casinos? Are they all "riverboats" that are actually permantely docked? Is this how they are in Tunica as well?

[RacersEdge]

In Tunica, the casinos are technically on a barge (I think that's the term). But you could be there and never notice that there is water anywhere around - they are just like regular casino/hotel buildings. The Gold Strike there is a 30 story hotel for example.

[AACardPlayer]

"By midday, the brunt of the storm had moved beyond New Orleans to Mississippi's coast, home to the state's floating casinos, where Katrina washed sailboats onto a coastal four-lane highway. The Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino, one of the premier gambling spots in Biloxi, had water on the first floor, and the governor said other casinos were flooded as well." from St.Pete Times article http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...p;SECTION=HOME

I was planning on going up there this wknd, but doubt that is possible now with this mess. on another note, hope that people living and working in the area are safe..

[James Boston]

The Grand in Gulfport is RIGHT ON the ocean. I can't imagine it not getting some serious damage.

[James Boston]

[ QUOTE ]
In Tunica, the casinos are technically on a barge (I think that's the term).

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think this is correct. I beleive the law requires being on water in a general sense, not actually floating.